Refusing to Bow
by ladythik
Summary: When Voldemort came back he never imagined his once loyal followers would refuse to return. What happens when Lucius decided he won't bow to anyone else. Male/Male slash, m-preg.
1. Chapter 1

**Summary: **When Voldemort rose again he had no idea that the strongest under his service had no intention of bowing to him this time. Lucius decided to stand against the Dark Lord and get something for his troubles as well. Thanks to a very strict marriage contract and Narcissa's infidelity he is able to claim any other Black as a new spouse, too bad no one thought to inform Harry that his Godfather had blood-adopted as his heir when he was a child making him more than a Potter, making him Potter-Black.

**Warning:** Male/Male slash, M-preg, torture

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing but the idea.

Chapter One

Lucius landed in the apparation and floo room of the manor with barely any evidence of his discomfort from the last half-hour showing. He quickly made his way to the second floor and to his study, closing the door before allowing himself to relax.

Even though he knew his 'wife' if she could be called that was away at his chateau in France with her lover he didn't know if she would be back early and did not dare allow the wench to see any weakness real or perceived. She hated him almost as viciously as he hated her and she would gladly use anything she could against him. Thankfully he was a Malfoy and had learned how hide every emotion and reaction before he had ever even attended Hogwarts. Narcissa, despite years of forced marriage knew hardly anything about him and she certainly didn't have anything on him that could give her appropriate black-mail.

He had made certain of it.

He made certain the wards on his study hadn't been tampered with while he was away. It hadn't been long. Just over an hour between when the mark; the hateful, shameful mark had burned and when he had made it back to his manor after everything but he could never be too careful. Narcissa often tried to break into the Lord's study while he was gone and if she hadn't then that meant she wasn't back yet from her dalliance that he wasn't supposed to know about.

Honestly the woman hadn't a drop of Slytherin cunning, he had known about her affairs for years, letting them build and grow for years while he quietly gathered proof in the background. She had no idea that he had known since the very first affair. The only reason he hadn't divorced the hag yet was because of the contract. The marriage contract demanded he have a Black as a bride, or bearer and the only unmarried Black still alive was Sirius and he had been in Azkaban until almost two years ago.

Lucius broke off his musings and made it to his desk and opened the second drawer down and lifted out the false bottom. Inside was an expanded wizard space and it held several potions and poisons in stasis. One of the potions he kept only on habit anymore, he hadn't needed it for himself since that Halloween so long ago when the Potter boy had defeated Voldemort.

The Cruciatus relief sat looking pretty, a deep plum with a golden sheen. It was fresh, less than a year old. He had brewed it after the world cup last summer when the mark had lit up the sky. It had simply been a precaution before he had felt the mark darkening on his arm as the year progressed. He was thankful now that he had brewed it because Voldemort had been furious about the boy besting him in the graveyard.

The monster had liberally punished them all for their perceived failure in stopping the boy before he had gotten away. Honestly, Lucius hadn't even tried to stop him. Yes he had cast quiet a few hexes tonight but they had all 'accidentally' hit the other Death Eaters which had slowed them down and knocked their aim off.

He had suffered the Cruciatus for over a minute along with a few other spells but compared to the others he had gotten off lightly. He quickly downed the potion and sat back allowing it to begin to work across his nerves. It took about five minutes before he was able to relax and he spent that time thinking.

For years he had waited, biding his time and gathering allies against the Dark Lord. He had known the monster hadn't fully died that night. They all had known. He had also known that when Voldemort came back he wouldn't bow to the man again. In truth he had gone to the graveyard only because he believed it to be a trick. He had gone there to find out who had found out how to manipulate the mark and then to kill them and instead he had found his biggest worry. Voldemort risen again even more monstrous than he had been at the end of the last war. He no longer looked even remotely human and his insanity was evident in his handling of the boy.

No, Lucius would not bow to the man. His father may have forced him to take the mark in the first place and yes he himself was a dark wizard but he was also a Slytherin and a true Slytherin bowed to no one.

So now his path laid before him. He would have to act quickly to complete everything necessary to separate himself from the Dark Lord before Voldemort found out. His first order of business would be divorcing Narcissa. She was as mad as her sister Bellatrix she just hid it better. Why his father thought marrying into the Blacks would be a good idea he didn't know.

Narcissa had only provided him with one child and had then proceeded to ruin that one. As much as he loved Draco because the boy was his first born and only child, he was not a Malfoy. The boy had been ruined. He had no cunning and was ridiculously lazy. He had no respect and the Black madness was already beginning to show.

The only issue was that damned contract. He had enough proof of her indiscretions over the years for divorce to be valid and the contract to punish her over it. She would be loosing everything including the dowry she had come into the marriage with. But the contract demanded if she failed as a spouse that he was to be provided his choice of Blacks as a replacement and unlike the first draft, the contract would automatically amend itself to his wishes as payment for dishonoring his house.

Where the original contract only allowed him to demand an Heir and he was only allowed to force her to conceive and carry as many children as it took to get a male the new contract would be at his discretion and he could demand as many children as was physically possible from his replacement spouse. He would also be able to demand fidelity and have it magically reinforced along with demanding his husbandly rights meaning that whome ever replaced Narcissa would not be able to refuse his bed.

There were several other things he could demand that he would simply to make his life easier but he needed to know who would be replacing Narcissa first. He called for his personal elf Tiddly and had her fetch him the book of genealogy charts from the library.

From what he remembered from the last time he had looked at the book which was before Draco had been born, the only unmarried and eligible Black was Sirius. Andromeda had been disowned before he had even married Narcissa and so even though she had a daughter neither of them were eligible as they were not legally Blacks. Belatrix was married and even then she would not be eligible due to her having been convicted of torture and serving a life sentence in Azkaban.

Regalus was dead but there had been rumors the man had a dalliance while in school that had resulted in a witch being cast from her family for refusing to abort the child. If he was lucky the child would be listed and alive. There was also the possibility of Sirius having fathered a bastard child that no one knew about. The only other option would be if Sirius had named an heir and even then there would have to be a blood connection somewhere for it to count.

Once he had the book he opened it to the correct section and unfolded the family lineage chart.

As expected Andromeda's name was no longer even present nor was her daughters so both were out. Bellatrix was marked as bonded and Narcissa was who he was divorcing in the first place. Their father was dead as was their Uncle Orion. Sirius was marked as Lord Black but he had no children listed but he had named an heir. Unsurprisingly it was his godson Harry Potter. Regalus was marked as dead. He excitedly looked for the witches name that had gotten pregnant from the youngest Black only to see a black line denoting death through both her and the babe's name. The notation mentioned that she had died in child birth along with the child. So he looked back further in the tree hoping to find anyone as a close enough blood relation to claim the Black title.

Walburga had been a Crouch before marriage meaning she was second cousins with Orion because her mother was his fathers younger sister. Surprisingly, he had never noticed before but Orion had an older sister by a good ten years. Her name was Dorea and she had married Charlus Potter.

This was enough to catch his attention. Under Sirius there had been a notation that he had a Godfather Bond and had named the child as his heir. Of course everyone knew Sirius was Potter's godfather but it hadn't mattered because Lucius hadn't thought Potter had any Black blood close enough to count but if his grandmother was a Black and he had been named heir of the current Lord then if he was correct that made Harry Potter, the boy-who-lived, eligible for the contract to count.

He needed to know for sure before he made any moves and the only one he trusted to help him was Evan Rosier, his solicitor on retainer. Rosier was one of the few including Nott, Snape, and Flint who he knew would be decidedly unhappy with Voldemort being back. He knew Evan would still be up after tonight's events and since Voldemort had decided to stay with the Crabbe's he also knew Evan would be able to come to him now so he quickly headed to his fireplace and after throwing in some floo powder he called out for his long time friend.

"Evan, are you there?" he asked.

There was some rustling heard before Evan's face popped up in the flames.

"Lucius, I have been waiting for you to call. May I come through?" the handsome face of his longtime friend asked.

"Yes please. I have need of your expertise my friend. I will open the wards to allow you through." once he pulled out of the flames he tweaked the wards in his study allowing the floo to connect fully to Rosier's study just long enough to allow the dark haired man through.

Evan came through quickly and after the connection was closed once again and they were seated in the small seating area in his study. Lucius spoke first.

"Are you well Evan, I have potions if you need then."

"I am well. Luckily I had one on hand just in case. It was about three years old but the stasis held strong so it worked. Now why do you need me as a solicitor?" Evan's tone was curious and mildly eager.

"I need you to tell me if what I have found is correct and will count legally in what I plan to do."

"What are you planning?"

"I refuse to continue to serve Voldemort. I will not subject myself to slavery and torture. But I know Narcissa will side with him and I will not have my house shamed by association with a mad man. I hate her anyways and have thought about divorcing her for years. The only issue as you know is the contract that demands I have a Black for a spouse. Up until tonight I thought the only Black left was Sirius but I decided to check just in case those rumors about Regalus having a bastard were correct. I checked the updating lineage charts I have and they showed that while the child had existed both it and the mother died during the birth. I was worried that would leave only Sirius but I was willing to deal with that and just ensure the new contract demanded his total obedience when I noticed something I hadn't known before."

He pulled out the book of charts and opened it to the Black page showing it to Evan.

"See Sirius is the only unmarried Black by name but he has the godfather bond and has named his godson Harry Potter as his heir and the future head of the Black Family. I imagined it wouldn't matter because I didn't know Potter had Black blood but it turns out that Orion had an older sister named Dorea who married Charlus Potter. They were James' parents which correct me if I am wrong but it means that with Harry being named as Sirius' heir will legally and magically make him a Black." he finished triumphantly.

Evan looked over the charts of both the Black's and Potters before speaking.

"I need to check the contract to ensure that you truly have your pick of Black's as Narsicca's replacement but this should work. Do you have a copy here?"

"Yes let me get it." Lucius stood and headed over to his book case where he took down his strongest wards tied directly to his Lordship ring.

It opened up a wall safe that he kept his blackmail and his most important files in. He had other places all over the manor and his other homes for artifacts and other files he didn't want anyone to see but not even Narcissa or Draco knew of this safe simply because this was the place he kept things against Narcissa and the only proof of his illegal activities. He quickly pulled out the file that had everything about the original contract and the first draft of the new contract that he had made years ago for future use.

He handed both over to Evan who looked the original over. The contract had been drawn by his father when he was a boy and was honestly one of the most magnificent contracts he had ever seen. Lucius himself had written some very tricky and confusing legalese but his father had been a true contract genius. The Malfoy famliy had stood to loose nothing with the contract and because Narcissa had just been born and was the youngest daughter of the family and the furthest from inheritance Orion, who was the Black Lord at the time had easily given into most of his fathers demands not noticing what exactly he was agreeing to.

The contract demanded a boy heir but after that it did not require Narcissa share his bed unless she felt willing and once an heir was born he hadn't been allowed to demand any more children. That had been Orion's only demand besides an allowance of a two hundred galleons a month. Everything else in the contract was in his favor.

There was a fidelity clause that if broken allowed his divorce and while there was a clause that demanded any spouse of his after a divorce be a Black what Orion had missed was that he got to choose which one it was and if his choice was refused then the Black Lord automatically forfeited his Lordship and control of the family to the Lord Malfoy. Lucius would automatically gain full control of the Lordship and all of the families vaults and properties. He would be the head of the Black family.

Granted that meant that he would have to take them all under his protection but it was worth it for what he would gain. The contract also mentioned that if Narcissa was at fault then he could rewrite the new contract with any demands he wished. That was his favorite part and he could tell when Evan got to that part because the darker haired mans eyebrows rose as high as they could go and a wicked grin crossed his face.

It only took a few more minutes before he found the Bloodline limits which detailed the degree of separation from the main line that he could go to claim his Black spouse. It also detailed the degree of nobility that he could demand his spouse from if they were a child from one of the Black daughters that married into another family. He knew that it was from any family younger in Lordship from the Blacks.

Luckily the Blacks were only beaten in nobility by three families, one of those being the Malfoy's. Lucius knew that while an old family, the Potters had only been titled for around five hundred years so claiming the boy as his couldn't be contested by law so long as the bloodline limit was within reason.

"You are correct Lucius. Potter is actually the last degree of separation allowed. He wouldn't have counted as his father was the last technical limit but because Black has the godfather bond and sharing a piece of magic is necessary for the bond which strengthened the small amount of Black magic to the acceptable limit."

Lucius couldn't help feel a surge of intense pleasure and anticipation at this. Finally after years of putting up with that bitch he was going to get something for it.

"Fantastic. How soon can everything happen. I do not wish to wait."

"Well the divorce can be finalized by tomorrow if we move quickly enough and you have proof handy. Then you simply have to send your demand to the current Lord Black and he will have one week to produce the Potter boy or forfeit his Lordship and then you can claim the boy anyways. The only issue is getting the offer to Sirius Black because he is on the run. You will have to go through either someone you know is in contact with him or through the goblins."

"I suspect Potter himself is in contact with Sirius but I have no proof. I will go through the goblins. I know the basics but just to refresh my memory what all is necessary to make my claim?" Lucius questioned, moving to the safe to get the proof of Narcissa's indiscretions to hand over to Evan.

"You need proof of what Narcissa has done which will allow the divorce and you need the relevant parts of the original contract along with a copy of the contract you intend to use for the bonding with the boy. The rough draft you have is fine but I will help you modify it to specifically fit this situation. Lastly you will need to shut off Narcissa's access to your vaults and properties and decide what to do about Draco."

"Alright well I am removing Draco as my heir and from the vaults but because he is my son I will leave him with his trust and an extra twenty thousand galleons. He will still be a Malfoy but with no chance of inheritance. He will be under my protection as a member of my line but that will be it. I have the proof for the divorce, will you see it filed?"

"Yes I will get it filed as soon as I leave. Do you wish to marry Draco off as a protective measure? It would keep him out of the way and if you marry him to a decent wizard or witch he will be well cared for. He has known it was a possibility since he was young he just thought he would be the dominant partner in the relationship."

"I haven't decided yet. I will begin looking for a suitable partner for him though. It will at least keep him from the coming war if I send him away. Narcissa has filled his head with foolish dreams of serving Voldemort and I can't think of any other way to keep him safe."

"Alright then lets get to work on this contract. You can drop it off with the goblins in the morning and they will have it to Black by the end of the day. What all do you want for certain?"

"I know exactly what I want. The original contract called for fidelity but did not allow for any magical preventive measures. I want it to be magically binding that only I may bed him. His very magic is to hold him as mine. Also I want as many children as the healer deems is safe for him to carry unless we both agree we have enough. At the very least one for each title. I want control of the Potter Lordship and Wizengamont and House of Lords seats. Full control of the family even though it only includes him for now along with the vaults and properties as his dowry. I also intend to forbid him from refusing my bed. He will be my husband in every sense not just to provide me with heirs."

"Those are steep demands, you are lucky that legally he can't refuse you. What about the Black Lordship?"

"Oh I have a plan for that as well. If everything goes to plan the Sirius will attempt to refuse me and he will simply forfeit it to me but if he doesn't forfeit, which is more likely because the first thing he will do is take it to Dumbledore who will catch that clause, then I intend to marry Harry and once I have him since Sirius is his godfather and technically one of his Lords I will be honor bound to call for a trial. Once Sirius is proven innocent I will also have it demanded he see a mind healer to assess the damage from Azkaban. I will pay the healer to determine him unfit to be Lord Black and as the dominant partner of his chosen heir I will be honor bound to take control of both Black and take over the running of the Black family." his grin was positively wicked and Evan was looking at him with no small amount of respect.

"You have definitely thought it all out Lucius. But what are we going to do about Voldemort. You know he is going to come after us for turning traitor."

Evan had turned cautious now. Lucius knew this was the deciding factor on if Evan really was to follow him or not so he chose his words with care.

"I have the wards behind me and as soon as you leave I will begin altering them. The only thing left to worry about is the mark and while I hadn't told you yet I have finally come up with a ritual that will without a doubt remove it without any adverse effects. It will require a potion and a cleansing ritual along with a sacrifice to transfer the magic to. It will not be easy but it can be done. I also know Severus as well as Cassius Nott and his husband and Marcellus and Adriana Flint will willingly do the ritual with us. If you agree to it then I can have it ready within two days. I will then call everyone here and once they are here I will inform them of it. I don't dare tell anyone besides you and Severus before hand out of fear that they will let it slip. You know as well as I that their occulemency is not as strong as ours."

Lucius watched as Evan's face lit up in fierce joy.

"You truly found a way. Lucius this is glorious news. Just tell me you have a way to block the marks for the next couple of days just in case and everything will be just fine."

"I have a runic sequence that we can put on a leather cuff that will block almost everything. It will prevent the magic drain that he used in the past to kill traitors along with most of the pain. If he catches on and does something we will feel a slight twinge but nothing more than an ache."

"Very well. Lets get this new contract written so I can go file the divorce and you can contact the goblins. Before I leave we will ready those bands just in case but hopefully they won't be needed."

Lucius called the house elfs for tea and he and Evan worked for the next two hours on the new marriage contract and on the paperwork to remove Draco as his heir. Finally he found to strips of leather in his warding kit along with a metal tipped quill nib that he super heated to brand the runes in the leather. It only took a few minutes for each cuff and then he had to infuse them with his magic but soon enough Evan was on his way to the ministry to the inheritance and bonding departments and Lucius was able to begin working on the wards while demanding the house elves begin removing traces of Narcissa from the manor.

He had them collect all of her jewels and expensive trinkets before gathering all of her clothing. He would keep the jewels since he had bought most of them but all of her gowns were tailored to her and he would have no use for them so he would let her keep them. Not like she would have anywhere to put them since she got nothing from him and due to her dishonoring himself and the Black family she would be disowned from them as well but maybe they would bring her some form of solace while she was forced to whore herself out to who ever would have her or get a job to survive.

By the time he was finished modifying the wards from the ward room in the dungeons which controlled the wards for all the grounds it was late enough to be considered early and he was able to send off a magically bound missive to the goblins before heading to his room to sleep. He could hardly wait. This was going to be the single biggest political coup in three centuries. Not to mention what he would be getting personally from the arrangement.

He had known the Potter boy was smart and cunning since the child's second year when he pulled the trick with the sock in the diary. Unfortunately for the boy it only counted if the intention of the master was to free the elf other wise elves would be accidentally set free all the time. But the child had tried. Luckily Dobby had been smart enough to act as though he was free and the boy was none the wiser that Lucius had sent the elf in the first place. Honestly no elf would willingly betray their master no matter how bad they were treated and he certainly didn't abuse his elves.

He hadn't known however just how much raw magic Harry had until tonight at the grave yard. He had known watching him overpower the _imperius_ that the boy was powerful but until he had seen an untrained child use raw power to force magic back through Voldemorts wand he hadn't any idea just how powerful. That meant that any children of his would be powerful as well and that meant that Lucius's coming children would be powerful.

The Malfoy name was already very well known but with this it was going to become great. Hopefully it would also grow in size as well. The whole heir and a spare was pathetic. He intended to have as many children as possible. If they couldn't simply cull the muggleborns who refused to learn about their society then they would simply out breed them.

Either way he had plans to make about his soon to be little husband and he would need his rest to do them. He stripped down and crawled into his bed with a small smile setting an alarm to wake him in three hours for the day and then allowed himself to rest dreaming of not sleeping alone for very much longer.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary: **When Voldemort rose again he had no idea that the strongest under his service had no intention of bowing to him this time. Lucius decided to stand against the Dark Lord and get something for his troubles as well. Thanks to a very strict marriage contract and Narcissa's infidelity he is able to claim any other Black as a new spouse, too bad no one thought to inform Harry that his Godfather had adopted as his heir when he was a child making him more than a Potter, making him Potter-Black.

**Warning:** Male/Male slash, M-preg, torture

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing but the idea.

Chapter Two

Lucius had been correct in thinking that Sirius would go directly to Dumbledore. Less than twenty-four hours later the Headmaster of Hogwarts sent him a missive requesting a meeting to discuss the school board, immediately. Lucius had written back explaining that he was awaiting a rather important owl and couldn't leave his manor at the moment.

He had also been pulling strings behind the scene while he waited. The editor of the Daily Prophet was in his pocket even more so than Fudge and had contacted him immediately about Fudge wanting a smear campaign against Harry Potter started. Lucius was lucky he had been able to stop it before it got started and had simply given the man more interesting news to use for the moment. After all a divorce in one of the old families because of a 'Lady's' indiscretion was very big news.

He had also decided he needed to know everything about his soon to be young husband and had contacted a private detective he had used before. Edward Marks had been a muggleborn three years below him in school and had made a rather lucrative business ferreting out secrets. Lucius had used him several times in the past to investigate potential partners and investments as well as to dig for blackmail on other politicians when he needed leverage. It had taken a simple floo call before to put Marks on the case and three days after Voldemort had been revived, on the night of the mark removal Marks had returned with a very thick file.

Lucius was sitting in the ritual room with Severus, Evan and Marcellus Nott. They were waiting on Cassius Nott and Adriana Flint to arrive before they could start the ritual when the house elf informed Lucius that Edward Marks had arrived.

"Bring him here Mipsy." he ordered the female elf. It only took a few minutes for the elf to lead the roguishly handsome man down to the ritual chambers underground.

"Lucius, Snape, gentlemen." he nodded at them in greeting, his voice gruff as he spoke around the thin cigar in between his lips.

"Marks, come in and sit down. I trust you have been successful?" Lucius queried as he offered the man a drink.

"Aye, I have, though I am still not sure how I feel about it."

"What do you mean Edward? Surely there isn't much shocking about the boy." Severus tone was sharp, tinged with disgust.

"I admit I hadn't expected there to be. I was able to finish my investigation quickly with a few simple truth and compelling charms and potions. Muggles had no idea what to look for so they were no problem. The only ones I had any issue with were wizards but I have enough favors and blackmail to get just about anything I want and I was able to get the boys sealed records. Here is the file."

Lucius took the file and began flipping through it, reading the reports from the ministry and surprisingly the obliviators and healers before moving to read the interviews of his muggle guardians. It was all there in black and white. For almost the boys entire childhood his magic had been reacting violently to violent abuse. There had been alert wards up to indicate if he had needed a healer and there were over twenty incidences of a healer and then an obliviator being dispatched under the orders of his guardian Albus Dumbledore.

It was evident that every time both healer and obliviator were the same and every time they tried sending word to Children and family services and the Aurors but because Harry's records had been sealed under the orders of Dumbledore just days after the attack in '81, none of the requests for interference were ever even seen. Dumbledore simply ordered them to patch the boy up and then obliviate the memory from his and his guardians minds.

The interview with the Dursley's showed a level of hatred and fear that appalled Lucius and had him seriously beginning to rethink his handling of the boy. Harry would not be cowed by control, now he would have to be made to believe he was making the choice and he would have to come to care for Lucius for this to work.

Lucius finally came up to Harry's school records and Madam Pomphery's medi-witch records on the boy. It seemed that every time the boy was in her infirmary she stuffed him with nutrition potions and that she had dictated many times the evidence of long term abuse and malnutrition and requested the boy be removed from his guardians and she had also suggested a Healer be brought in to set a potions and healing regimen to attempt to repair what damage they could. Dumbledore had denied her every time, even forbidding her setting the boy on a simple nutrition potion regimen on her own. He forbid her any contact with the boy other than absolutely necessary.

He was appalled and passed the file to Severus and the others, Cassius and Adriana had arrived while he was reading.

"Edward was that all, did you find out anything else?" he questioned while the others read things over.

"Yes. The Dursleys, his muggle family, they made the boy sleep in a cupboard under the stairs until he had received his first Hogwarts letter. They took the boy to orphanages three seperate times and every time Dumbledore brought him back and made him forget but left their memories in tact informing them they could punish the boy as they saw fit so long as he lived." Marks' tone was disgusted, and he chewed his cigar as though wishing it was his enemies.

"Well I will have to change my plans. Severus did you know nothing of this?" he questioned his longtime friend.

Severus looked up sharply from the medical reports he was reading, his normally sallow skin pale in shock and his eyes burning. He was gritting his teeth and when he spoke it was the quietest Lucius had ever heard him.

"No, had I any idea I would have stopped it years ago. You know how I feel about child abuse Lucius. Dumbledore assured me the boy was spoiled at home and foolishly I refused to look deeper when thing s didn't add up."

"Very well. I wonder how many others are being harmed like this that we do not notice. After all if it can happen to the boy-who-lived then it can happen to any of them. I will see bout getting a healer ready though as soon as confirmation comes in. Severus what do you think? Have you heard anything from the Headmaster?"

"Oh yes. Albus has been sequestered in his office with Black and Lupin since about noon the day after the last task. Fudge had been there that morning as you already know and denied everything saying the boy and the headmaster were mad and he wouldn't allow them to spread lies. I had expected something in the news but with everything about your divorce suddenly being big news I guess it has been pushed back." he raised an eyebrow at Lucius daring him to explain.

"I simply suggested the editor, Belby, might want to wait for a bit before daring to infringe on the honor of the boy-who-lived until he was able to set up an interview with the boy. He agreed it would be career suicide if he was wrong and chose to use my timing as a bluff to keep Fudge off his back until he could think of some way to sway the man." Lucius explaned calmly while the others chickled.

"Yes well, Dumbledore and Black waited until today when Potter was released from the hospital wing before telling the boy. I know because Albus demanded I be there for it after I couldn't give him any insight on your thought process."

Evan spoke then, his tone questioning. "How did the boy take the news?"

"Not well in all honesty. He was very upset upon hearing that legally he had no choice. Black explained it as being similar to the Tri-wizard cup, a binding contract. He yelled about you being a death eater and this being an attempt to hand him over to Voldemort which I put a stop to. I ensured him it was a slight against your honor to think you would ever not protect your family and Black was forced to agree with me due to you demanding a bonding instead of the more modern and muggle wedding."

"Do you think he will settle quickly Severus or should I take precautions?"

"Honestly, Luc I have no idea. An hour ago I would have said you would have to force the boy to do anything but now, after reading all of this I just have no idea. I would say that if you treat the boy with any amount of kindness it would have to be better than what he comes from but he will still likely fight the evil dark wizards." the last was said sarcastically and the others all laughed.

"What about you Edward, what do you think?" Lucius turned back to the muggleborn.

"I think he likely doesn't have any idea about the honor of the old families. Merlin knows I didn't until you all taught me. He likely has no knowledge of the old ways or of Balance. I think, given everything I have learned he will fight any attempts of control but kindness is something he will not be expecting. But Lucius, I believe the boy has the capability for great loyalty if given the chance. He isn't like you or I, money means nothing as is evident by his wardrobe and the company he keeps. All accounts are of him being a polite boy who attracts trouble like bees to honey. The shopkeepers in Diagon dealt with him quite a bit during the summer before his third year and apparently he is kind and helpful if wary. He doesn't seem to like crowds much and is supposedly surprisingly able to disappear if he chooses to. I would suggest canceling your usual huge balls for this summer and simply have a few dinners with friends, introduce him to only those you hold in high confidence. Allow him to invite his friends over one or twice but not too much and allow him to write them often. I think your best bet at getting to him is through Black. Everything points to him loving the man as a father despite Dumbledore doing his best to keep them appart. Get the godfather and you get the boy."

Evan and the others all thought it sounded like fine advice and Adriana spoke up then.

"What about his manners and etiquette. As your bonded it will be up to him to host galas and parties, does he have any idea how?" her voice was soft but their was a core of steel threaded through her that not many dared to cross.

Adriana had been forcibly bonded to Desmond Flint, a cruel wizard who cared only for his own ends. He had forced her to take the mark when he did, not caring for her wishes. She had finally killed the man when her youngest, Marcus Flint, had finally started Hogwarts. No one could prove it but everyone knew and Lucius respected her for finally ending the man who had tormented her for years.

"I was hoping you and Marcellus might take on the task of aiding him in that once I have his etiquette caught up. I don't dare host any functions until I am sure he will not shame me."

"Well I would love to help the dear Lucius. You know Cassius never lets me do anything more." he grinned teasingly at them all before flashing a loving smile at his husband and bond mate.

"Oh hush you, I simply think you should be able to relax with our children. If you like you may go to work and I will stay hone with Theodore and Annebelle." Cassius grinned as he pulled his bondmate closer.

"No that is all right. I have it well in hand Cass." Marcellus was quick to ensure him as the others laughed.

"Well I would gladly help the boy. Marcus is finally old enough to be on his own now so only Micah still remains at the manor. He has found a bond mate and they will be bonding by yule so I can use that as a teaching point for Harry. By next summer he should be able to throw his first gala." she smiled.

"Well we shall see but enough of this for now. I believe we are all here for a reason." Lucius grinned.

Marks watched them all with a mild sense of bemusement as Lucius pulled out a pure white paste and had them all apply it directly to their marks before moving them all to a warding circle. The spell was a purification ritual based on blood sacrifice and required a living sacrifice so Lucius had gathered several perfect new lambs and they each had to wait for their paste to dry and then with a steady chant they had to peel the paste up which ripped out the black tentacles of magic with it and then allow the past to latch onto the lamb. The magic was awful and the evil could be felt as soon as they began peeling it from themselves. The longest tentacle felt like it was being pulled from the bottom of their stomachs with other coming from around their hearts and along the magical pathways in their arms. It burned and tugged and made them all feel nauseous but they had to keep going once they started or the marks, which had alerted Voldemort and were now being used as weapons, would kill them.

As soon as they touched the lambs the poor things began bleating in agony as they attempted to fight off the magic that was stealing their lives. The sounds were horrible but the images were even more so as the poor things shrunk and shriveled in on themselves until they were little better than husks and the magic with nothing left to draw from finally disappeared in a roar of fury.

They were all exhausted, their magic depleted from the ritual and from forcing the tendrils from themselves and Marks had to help them all from the ritual room and back up the stairs to a parlor where they could all rest and recuperate. Severus called for his personal house elf to fetch them all some pepper-up potion to help.

Soon Adriana laughed, a giggle really before Evan joined and the others followed. Lucius felt free for the first time in years. There had been a weight, a restriction and constant drain on his magic since the dark mark had first been applied back in the first war that was gone. He could feel the freedom that he hadn't even realized he had missed and it made him light heart-ed and happy. Even Severus, the most severe wizard he had ever known was giggling like a school girl at the fact that they had all just bested the dark lord.

"Do you know what I am going to do first thing tomorrow?" Marcellus spoke once he had caught his breath.

"What?" Evan questioned.

"I am going to Paris to Emils and I am going to have him design a new style of robe which is sleeveless for the summer. We can start a new fashion statement and my arms, my newly unmarked arms can be visible for everyone!" the feminine man grinned.

"That is a wonderful idea Marcellus, I think I shall join you. Ladies fashions turned from corset dresses to long sleeve even in the summer back during the first war, I think it is time they changed back. Let every see exactly who wears the mark. They will not dare show their arms and it will give the Ministry a great starting point." Adriana grinned deviously.

"Well then I think we should all get some of these new robes, after all I refuse to fall behind in fashions." Lucius smirked. The others agreed and made a plan with Lucius agreeing to pick some up for Severus since he would still be required to be at the school because the students still had a week.

One by one they all left until only Severus and Lucius remained.

"What do you plan now Lucius?"

"Well I know the goblins delivered the letter and contract to Sirius Black three days ago so he only has two more days left. I know Dumbledore wishes to speak with me so I think I will visit the school tomorrow evening for dinner. After all, showing off my new robes will definitely be in order."

"You must make thing difficult on your self. Shall I inform the old man of your impending visit?" Severus snarked.

"You may inform him. I imagine he would like to have an answer for me by then."

"Alright Lucius. Now I have to be getting back. I imagine after reading those madical chart that the healer you higher to examine the boy will order a rather sever course for potions to heal what can be healed. Simply send me a list and I shall begin brewing them. I will also be making use of my rooms here this summer as a medi-wizard on sight if needed. I imagine the boy will need it."

"Thank you for that Severus. As soon as I know anything I will let you know. I do have one request though, the '_occulus potion'_. I know you can brew it and I will gladly pay you for your time. They boys eyes shouldn't remain hidden behind those ridiculous frames."

"Certainly Lucius. It takes about a month. You may give it to the boy for his birthday. I imagine he would enjoy it. Now I really must be getting back, who knows what is going on with the Slytherins. Likely they have blown up the castle by now." his tone was long suffering and Lucius couldn't help but chuckle at him over it as the darker man floo'ed away.

Lucius took the time to read through the file Marks had gathered one more time once he had bathed and settled in bed. The details were damning and he remembered why he hated muggles. Honestly this could be used but not with out exploiting the boy. Maybe he could find a way but he was to tired to think of it tonight. He set the file away and with a simple _nox_ the torches were out as he settled back in his comfortable bed. He fell asleep looking at his bare arm in the moonlight and his dreams were filled with dark hair and green eyes flashing in fury.

The next morning Mipsy woke him early with breakfast and a bath already run. He took the time to groom himself well before dressing with care. He read the paper while he ate breakfast and noticed that Narcissa was pictured on her lovers arm in Diagon looking decidedly worse for wear. The normally put together witch was obviously not accustomed to grooming herself and with out the maid elf he had assigned her her clothes were wrinkled and her hair that was normally perfectly styled was frizzy and in a simple tail instead of her elaborate curls.

He left for Paris with a smirk on his face and met up with Cassius and Marcellus in the wizarding district of Paris near the Louvre. Within half an hour Evan and his wife, a pretty little muggleborn names Maria, and Adriana had joined them and they headed to DeFaynes Fine Threads where Emil was more than happy to aide them in their new fashion statement.

The little old man was worried for a moment until the men all took off their over robes revealing unmarked flesh. He looked at them all in shock and then joy before quickly summoning bolts of fabric in every color and weight. Since it was summer and it would be sweltering they all chose light weight fabrics for their over robes and Adriana for her dresses. Emil decided on the perfect style with a mandarin collar and buttons down the sides of their chests, completely sleeveless. The robes would go to the floor and be fitted to the hips and under them they would wear a simple linen sleeveless tunic and breeches.

There was another more formal style that was an open front sleeveless robe that they could wear a tunic under that the robe would be held together with fine chains and breeches under that. Lucius ordered several sets in silks and fine linens and he ordered several sets for Severus as well. Luckily Emil had Severus' sizes and was able to send a couple of the robes with him promising the rest would be delivered within the next week.

Lucius, knowing it would be his future bond mates first impression of him after receiving the news decided to change into a new set of stunning teal robes edged with silver. They complimented his coloring and bared his unmarred forearms for everyone to see. The group took well past lunch to outfit and they decided on catching a late lunch before heading back to England and Scottland. Lucius, knowing he would need every advantage took the time to do a bit of shopping and buy a few gifts for his intended including a gorgeous pair of self sizing dragon hide boots that cost more than a new broom and a few other items and trinkets.

When it was getting close to supper he dropped his purchases off at the manor and after steeling himself he apperated to Hogsmead and with one last smile he headed up the hill to the gates of Hogwarts, his future waited for him.


End file.
